Ice-creeper.



E. A. GROUT.

ICE GREEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN,27, 1912.

1,032,600. Patented Jul 16, 1912.

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EDWARD A. GROUT, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

. Ian-ensures.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 131 16, 1912,

Application fil ed January 27, 1912. Serial No. 673,866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. Gnou'r, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge,'in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice- Creepers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperi tains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates to 1 an improvement in ice creepers.

The object of theinvention is to produce an ice creeper of improved construction, by virtue of which it is securely attached to the foot, andeiiicient and durable in use.

To the above ends the invention consists in the ice creeper hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims. i

In the accompanyingdrawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ice creeper attached to a shoe; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan; and Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Flg. 3.

The creeper conslsts, generally, of a sole plate provided with calks and secured to the foot by straps. The sole plate 1 is made somewhat smaller than the bottom of the sole of the shoe upon which it is intended to be used, and the toe strap 2 extends around the toe of the foot, while the heel strap 3 extends up around the foot and ankle. The sole platel is made of two layers of oak tanned leather,-a tread layer 4 and an upper layer 5. The toe strap 2 is laid between the tread and upper layers of the sole plate and secured by means of a doublepronged rivet 6 at the middle of the sole plate, the prongs passing through the upper layer the toe strap, and the tread layer 4, and eing clenched on the surface of the tread layer. The toe strap, it will be seen, extends from each side of the sole plate at a place below the top of the sole plate, so that the toe strap, extending up to the edge of the sole, extends at an angle to the sole, so as thereby to cause a pressure to be exerted upon the sole plate on the pulling up of the toe strap, tending to hold the sole plate in the center of the sole of the shoe, whereas, if the strap extended from the upper surface of the sole plate, it would extend along the bottom of the sole of the shoe parallel sole of the shoe, and therefore present less lmpedlment to lateral movement of the sole with the tread surface of the plate upon the sole of the shoe. This feature of construction contributes materially to the security with which the creeper is held upon the foot. The ends of the heel strap 3 are introduced between the layers of the sole plate and secured by means ofthe double-pronged rivets 7 for the samepurpose as in the case of the toe strap, namely, to obtaln the secure holding of the sole plate on the shoe and also to offset the tread surface of the sole plate beyond the straps so as to thereby protect the straps at the corners of the sole from contact with the ground in walking. This heel strap is inserted at an angle, as shown in Fig.v 3 of the drawings, so that it pulls on the sole plate in the direction to resist any movement of the sole plate on the sole of the shoe. It extends from the sole plate diagonally outwardover the corner of the inside andthe outside of the ball of the sole of the shoe, thence upward to the top of the instep, where it crosses and extends around the ankle. A single buckle secures the loose ends of the heel strap together.

Around the margin of the sole plate a seam of stitches is sewn,to unite the two layers of the sole plate together, and to securethe toe and heel straps to the sole plate, and thus to unite the layers of the sole plate into a single, rigid, strong calk-supporting body. The disposition of the calks in the sole plate is also of importance. They are arranged, as shown in the drawings, with two extending into the toe strap at opposite sides of the sole plate, one extending into each of the ends of the heel strap 3, and one in the center of the sole plate. These calks not only serve the function of securing a grip on the surface walked upon, but they also contribute to the security and strength of the creeper structure by constituting additional nieans for uniting the toe strap and the sole p ate.

An important feature of the invention resides in attachin the straps to the sole plate at a point a ove the tread surface of the sole plate, and at a point below the top surface of the sole, so as thereby to obtain the two advantages of security of holding screwed into it, they are afforded a strong and secure support so as to resist lateral pressures upon their ends, tending to pull them out of the sole, or tip them over in the sole. The toe strap will be adjusted by the wearer to his foot, and will not thereafter need to be buckled or unbuckled in use, the buckling and unbuckling of the buckle in the heel strapbeing all that is necessary in order to put on and take off the creeper.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is I .1. An. ice creeper having, in combination,

a sole plate provided with calks and toe and heel straps, the sole plate consisting of a tread layer and an upper layer united at their edges, the toe strap extending across the forward end of the sole plate between the layers of the sole plate, being secured thereto by a rivet ahd by two calks and by the means for attaching the edges of the layers of the sole plate together, substantially' as described. 2. An ice creeper having, in combination, a sole plate provided with calks, said sole plate consisting of a tread layer and an upper layer of leather united at their edges and having means for securing it to the toe of a shoe, and a heel strap having its ends secured to the heel end of the sole plate, such ends lying between the tread and upper layers of the sole plate and being secured to the sole plate by calks, rivets and the means for heel straps being secured to the soleplate by said calks, and by stitching and rivets, substantially as described.

4. An ice creeper having, in combination, a leather sole plate provided with calks and toe and heel straps, the sole plate consisting of a tread layer and an upper-layer united at their edges, the toe strap extending from opposite edges of the forward end of the sole plate, the heel strap extending from opposite edges of the'rear end of the sole plate, and the calks having screwthreaded shanks screwed into thesole plate, said toe and heel straps being secured to the sole plate by the calks, rivets and the means for uniting the edges of the layers of the sole plate, substantially as described.

EDWARD A. GROUT.

Witnesses HORACE VAN EVEREN,

GEoReE E. STEBBIVNS. 

